Garment



Jan.. 22, 1946. l H. B. NORTHRUP 2,393,259

I GARMENT v v i Filed Oct. 19, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4Patented Jan. 22,1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l 2,393,259 f GARMENT HaroldBrnafnraNnrtm-un, Johnstown, N. Y. Application October 19, 1944, SerialNo. 559,444v

11 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in knitted garments such asinfants shirts, nightgowns and the like. While not so limited, it isparticularly directed to. that type of garment in which the upperportion of the front section consists of two overlapping pieces whichextend, respectively, from the shoulders downwardly and diagonallyacross vthe garment to the opposite side edges thereof, wherebyoverlapping portions Among other objects of the invention are theVprovision of a. knitted garment which will drape better on the wearer,provide a minimum of resistance to his normal movements, and in which"the neck opening and the sleeves will better retain their originalshape.

In accordance with the above objects I provide a garment in which theentire back, the top front sections and the sleeves are of one piece ofmaterial, thereby making it necessary to use only, additionally, a lowerfront section in order to complete the garment. v

In forming the garment, the single pieceto form the back, theoverlapping sections and the sleeves is cut from knitted material sothat the wales in the back section run vertically. When that piece is socut and subsequently folded, as

on the wearer and give greater freedom of movement of the shoulders andthe arms. l As the wales in the overlapping front sections rundiagonally towards the shoulders,there is relatively little if anystretch to the free edges of those sections. Hence, the neck openingre-l tains its original shape and does not stretch and become baggy topresent an unsightly appearfl ance. Also, as the end of the sleeves liein planes more nearly parallel than normal tothe direction of the Walesinthe sleeves, there is practin* cally no stretch to them,particularlyif they are over-stitched to prevent fraying of thematerial,

as is customary in such garments. Y

The invention will be' further described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that such furtherdescription is by Way of'exemplication and thatY the invention is notlimited thereto except to the extent dened in the appended claims.

In the drawings: i

Fig. 1 is a front view of a garment embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2`is a back view thereof;

Fig. 3 is n longitudinal sectinnai view on une Y 3--3 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 4 is aview of the piece of material which forms the back, thesleeves and the overlapping front sections, with one of the frontsections being folded Lto the position which it assumes in the completedgarment; j.

Fig. 5 is a front view of a piece vof material which forms the lowerfront portion of the garment; and

will hereinafter more fully be described, the

wales in each upper front section will extend in a direction diagonallytowards the shoulders from which the respective sections extend, and thewales in the sleeves will extend in a direction parallel to those in itsadjoined front section, with the result that the open end of the sleeveswill lie in planes more nearly parallel than normal to the direction ofthe wales in the sleeves.

By having the overlapping front sections and the adjoined rsleevesformed from a single piece with the wales running in a directiongenerally normal to the top of the sleeves and the shoulder portions,the garment is readily stretchable in a direction along the shouldersand the upper portions of the arms, so vthat it will drape better Fig. 6is a View showing how a series of the pieces to form the back, sleevesand overlapping front sections of the garment may be cut from a piece oftubular knitted material.

Referring now to the drawings, and rst to Figs. 1-3 inclusive, thegarment comprises a back I, a front including a lower section 2 and foverlapping upper sections 3 and 4, and sleeves 5 and 6. The upperportions` of the free edges of the overlapping-front sections 3 and 4coop-4 erate with the upper free edge portion 1 of the back to form aclosed neck opening 8. All parts of the garment are made of knittedmaterial which, if desired, may be napped or brushed.

' The entire garmentY except for the lower .front section 2 is made froma single piece of material of the shape of the blank shown in Fig. 4.

The blanks may be cut fromtubular knitted material in the manner shownin Fig. 6. As shown in that iig'ure patterns for the blank of Fig. 4 arefolded along a, line extending longitudi-l material folded and sewed sothat the wales in the back section run vertically and the wales in theoverlapping front sections run diagonally toward the shoulders fromwhich said sections, respectively, extend.

4. A body garment of knitted material comprising a back, a front, andsleeves, the back extending the full length of the garment, the fronthaving a lower section and overlapping` upper sections which extend fromthe shoulders, said upper front sections having free edges, the upperportions of which cooperate with a free edge at the top of the backsection to form a neck opening, the back, the upper front sections andthe sleeves being of a single piece of material folded and sewed so thatthe wales in the back section run vertically, the wales intheoverlapping front sections run diagonally toward the shoulders fromwhich said sections, respectively, extend, and the wales in the sleevesrun more nearly parallel than normal to the outer ends of the sleeves.

5. A body garment of knitted material comprising a back, a front, andsleeves, the front including a lower section and overlapping uppersections which extend from the shoulders, the overlapping upper frontsections having free edges, the upper portions of which cooperate with afree edge at the top of the back section to form a neck opening, theback, sleeves and overlapping front sections being of a single piece ofmaterial folded and sewed so that the wales in the back section runvertically and the wales in the overlapping front sections rundiagonally toward the shoulder from which said sections, respectivelyextend.

6. The method of forming blanks for the manufacture of body garmentswhich are symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal center line whichcomprises laying out one-half of the blank on knitted material havingconnected upper and lower folds in which the wales run substantiallyparallel to the line connecting the folds, with the longitudinal centerof the blank `coinciding with the edge connecting the folds and withconnected front and sleeve sections extendingr in directions diagonal tothe direction in which the wales in the folds run, and cutting thesuperposed folds along the lines defining said one-half of the blank,other than the edge connecting the superposed folds.

7. The method of forming blanks for the manufacture of body garmentswhich are symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal center line whichcomprises laying out one-half of the blank on flattened tubular knittedmaterial, with the longitudinal center of the blank coinciding with theedge at one side of the tubular knitted material and with connectedfront and sleeve sections extending in directions diagonal to thedirection in which the wales in the material run, and cutting thesuperposed folds along the lines defining said one-half of the blank,other than the edge coinciding with the longitudinal center of theblank.

8. The method of forming blanks for the manufacture of body garmentswhich are symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal center line whichcomprises laying out a plurality of halves of such blanks on flattenedtubular knitted material, with the longitudinal center of the blankscoinciding with the sides of the flattened material and with connectedfront and sleeve sections extending in directions diagonal to the lengthof the material, successive blanks having their longitudinal centerlines coinciding with opposite side edges of the attened tubularmaterial and with portions of the blanks to form parts of the garmentsbelow the sleeves lying opposite one another, and cutting the superposedfolds along the lines defining said half blanks, other than the edgecoinciding with the longitudinal center of the blank.

9. A one-piece blank for forming a knitted garment comprising a centralsection adapted to form the back, sleeve sections extending upwardly andoutwardly from the opposite upper sides of said back section, and frontsections extending upwardly and inwardly from the upper inner portionsof the sleeve sections, the wales in all of said sections running in adirection parallel to the longitudinal center of the back section,

10. The method of making a garment of knitted material having a backsection, overlapping front sections and sleeves which comprises forminga one-piece blank for the upper portion of the garment having a centralback section, sleeve sections extending upwardly and outwardly from theopposite upper sides of said back sections and front sections extendingupwardly and inwardly from the upper inner portions of the sleevesections with the wales in all of said sections running in a directionparallel to the longitudinal center of the back section, folding eachsleeve and connected front sections on a line extended inwardly fromsubstantially the center of the outer end of the sleeve sections so thatthe front sections overlap one another and the sleeves are formed,sewing the over-folded sleeve sections together along their lower edges,and sewing together the bottom edges of the overlapping front sections.

ll. The method of making a garment of knitted material having a backsection, overlapping front sections and sleeves which comprises forminga one-piece blank for the upper portion of the garment having a centralback section, sleeve sections extending upwardly and outwardly from theopposite upper sides of said back section and front sections extendingupwardly and inwardly from the upper inner portions of the sleevesections with the wales in all of said sections running in a directionparallel to the longitudinal center of the back section, folding eachsleeve and connected front sections onV a line extended inwardly fromsubstantially the center of the outer end of the sleeve sections so thatthe connected front sections overlap one another and the sleeves areformed, sewing the over-folded sleeve sections together along theirlower edges, and sewing a lower front section to the lower edge of theoverlapping front sections and to the side edges of the lower portion ofthe back section.

HAROLD BRADFORD NORTHRUP.

